Improvement in hand canceling-stamps



J. T. A. LEWIS Hand Oan0e1ing-Stamp.

' No. 215,526; Patented May 20,1879.

UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

JAMES T. A. LEWIS, ()F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND CANCELlNG-STAMPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 215.526, dated May 20, 1879; application filed April 21, 1879.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES T. A. LEWIS, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Hand Ganceli11g-Stamps, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a handstamp having myimprovement applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section through the center of the same.

My invention relates to that description of hand canceling-stamps which are provided with a handle having a spring-shank, to the outer end of which the stamp-head is attached, whereby the hand and arm of the person using the implement are relieved from the shock caused by the blow.

In these stamps, however, the spring-shank has always been permanently attached to the handle by a rivet, and in the event of the breakage of the shank, which often occurs if the steel is not properly tempered, the handle is discarded, as it is of no further use, while no change can be made in the length of the spring-shank, as is often desirable, in order to render it more or less flexible, to suit different persons.

My invention has for its object to overcome these objections, and avoid the loss of the handle in the event of the breaking of the spring-shank and consists in the combination,

with the stamp-head and its spring-shank, of a handle provided with a socket to receive the end of the shank, and a clamping-screw to confine it in place, by which construction when the shank is broken or worn out, or one of a different length is required, it can be readily removed and replaced by another at a trifling expense.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried 7 it out.

portion, 0, which is inclined slightly upward, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained, and is adapted to receive the end of a flat springshank, D, composed of a piece of whalebone or other suitable material, this shank being securely confined, when properly adjusted, within the socket by means of a thumb-screw, d, which bears upon an intermediate plate, e; and it will thus be seen that by drawing out or pushing in the end of the shank and securing it by the clamping-screw its effective length may be increased or diminished, so as to render it more or less flexible, as desired.

The outer extremity of the shank D is secured by a screw, f, to the head-piece E of the stamp, to the under side of which are attached the cancel g and type-box It.

By making the outer end of the shank D flat, without any recess or projection, and employing a single screw, f, for attaching the headpiece E, the position or angle of the latter with respect to the shank can be varied to exactly suit the hand of the person using the implement; and by giving the portion 0 of the socket a slight upward inclination, as above described, the stamp is caused to strike a fairer blow and give a better impression than if it projected out directly in line with the longitudinal axis of the handle.

I prefer to make the shank D of whalebone,

as this material is especially adapted for the purpose, being much less liable to fracture than steel, and also softer and more flexible, Y

which causes the stamp to produce a clearer impression, and more effectually relieves the hand or arm of the concussion or jar caused by the blow, thus rendering the operation of canceling less fatiguing.

From the foregoing it will be seen that when the spring-shank D is broken or worn out,

or when one of a different length is required,

ing of a shankan advantage of great importance, which, in connection with the facility with which one shank can he removed and replaced by another of difi'erent length to suit the Weight of the head-piece and parts attached thereto, or the hand of the operator, renders a canceling-stamp constructed in this manner greatly superior to those heretofore used.

I am aware of the Letters Patent of the United States No. 193,070, granted to H. W. Bardwell on the 17th day of July, 1877, and therefore lay no claim to the spring-shank for connecting the handle with the head-piece, or to any of the parts or devices described in the said Letters Patent; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a hand-stamp, the combination, with the head-piece E and its spring-shank D, of the handle A, provided with a socket, B, adapted to receive the end of the spring-shank, and the clamping-screw cl, for confining it in place when adjusted, all constructed and arranged to operate substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

Witness my hand this 16th day of April, A. D. 1879..

JAMES T. A. LEWIS.

In presence of P. E. TESOHEMAOHER, W. J. CAMBRIDGE. 

